Game apparatus



-INVNTOA BY QATTORNEY Haro/d M. Porl'.

Y H. M. PORTER GAME APPARATUS Fi-led April 7, 1921 Nov.4 10 1925,

Patented Nov. 10, 1925.

UNiTEDfsTATi-:s via'yfrlazivr oF j HAROLD M. PORTER, OFI-IAGAERS'ILOWN, MARYLAND, ASS-IGNOR TO TH PORTER CH CAL CQMPANYLA GOBIPQRJLLION QF MARYLAND.

EMI-

ennui APPARATUS.

Application fired April 7,1921, seriai- No, 459,351.

To 'all whom t may concern:

y Be it known that I, HAROLD M. PORTER, a' citizen of the United MStates, residing at Hagerstown, county of Washington, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus;

-lustrated apparatusembodying the princi-` `sideredas restrictive. y

and I do hereby decla-re the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in,

-tion of one mode of the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

l This invention relates to game apparatus and relates more particularly to game appa-V ratus adapted to the playing of games which will not only furnish fun and amusement,

but which will also be instruct-ive and educaplesl of my invention, but it is to be understood that this is merely one specific embodiment Vof the invention chosen kfor the pur# poses of illustration and is not to be con- The drawing is a. diagrammatic illustrausing my invention in playing games. Q F or the purposes of illustration I have shownl my apparatus as adapted for use in The elements or members comprising my game apparatus consist of a starter element or game piece, indicatedY generally by 10, and a plurality of playing elements or game pieces 11 adapted to beset against or joined 'for various reasons vto construct them fof players without confusion or Acrowding-together of either the players. or the playing pieces and which will arouse the interest o-f Vthe players and incite them to keep a vsharp look out at all times inthe game. v

Another object of the invention is to providegame apparatus. which is very simple and which may be produced at low cost.

Other. objects and advantages of construction will appear as the description proceeds. Y Broadly speaking, my game. apparatus comprises aplurality of playing: elementsv or pieces consisting of a starting piece, or element and other lelements or game pieces bearing certain symbols, characters, names, or lterms bearing a certain relation to each other played in conjunction with the f'Starting piece or element. 4 V ,Y

More specifically described, my Vinvention embodies a starter game piece having a plurality of starting faces so arranged that a7 comparatively large number of players may engage in the gaine withoutv either the vplayers or playing pieces beingcrowded together and a plurality of gaine elements or pieces provided with certain symbols, names or terms bearing a certain relation'to each other whichare to lbe joined or associated ,inv accordance .with the existing relations.

In the accompanying drawing, I have il;

playing al game without crowding-together to designated 'faces or ends of the starter accordingrr to certain rules,- to be explained later. These game pieces or elements may be constructed of anv suitable materials, such as hard rubber, Celluloid, wood, paper, cardboard, etc., hut I have found it advantageous heavy paper or thin, flat card-board, 80

Particular attention is called to' theshape of thefstarter pieceor element'lO;y which is so designed that acomparatively large'number of persons' may use the apparatus 'in of either the players or the playing pieces. The starter comprises av longitudinal rbody portion 12 having piojections'l extending 'laterally'V on opposite sides of the body porftion." Four projections are shown, they be-` ing arranged in pairs opposite each otherso that the'r starter is in'4 effect double-cross shaped The ends of the body portion and 'the projections of the starter lform starting faces or ends 14 against which the playing pieces may be set or joined in playing the various games. vvThe legend Start is preferably' printed or otherwise aHiXed adjacent 'eachof theY starting lfaces or ends, 14 voffftle.

starter to indicate the startingpoints'.v

, The playing pieces or elementsll. are rec-l y I's pe'ctsv the ordinary domino,:being dividedV f y tangular'in. shape andreseinble in' some reas s'a domino,` onj-the' faceiby a central transverse Yline intotwo.portions. "As vhasv ,105,1 y already been` stated, this apparatus"l will be Y' l fdescribed for the purposes of illustration as' l" involving, or 'giving' instructionniin, geogs raphyg In jthe j specific Vexamplehere in# w yo'lved, the'players will be instructed Viii-the 110 "A nu relations existing between Statesv of the Unitedv States and their capitals, the particular object of the game to beidescribed being to match or connect a State with itsy lPlay is continued in this manner, 'building capital. l

Each ofthe playing pieces 1l is provided on one of the two portions into which the face is divided with the name' 0i a State or the capital of a State, 'printed-or otherwise aiiixed thereon. In some of the playing :pieces the other portion of the `tace is lleft blank and these playing pieces inagy vbe v termed halt-blanks..

Each of the 'other playing pieces has a State printed on one half-portion :and a capital printed on vthe other` halt-portion of theV ltace.y The States and vcapitals may be aiiiX-edto the playing pieces in any desired manner' best fitted 'to suit the convenience `of the vplayers -t'o'en-r able them to -easily read the names, regardless of the position oit' the playing piece with respect to the player. 'In the example illustrated, lon each portion of the faces o'i the playing pieces on which the name of either a State 'or vcapital appears, itis printed or otherwise aiiixed twice, in parallel lines, across the half-portion of the tace, iirst right-side-up and then up-'side-down, as viewed from one end, which makes the name ofthe State ory capital Vreadable 'from practically every angle.

In va typical example, my improved genie apparatus comprises tive State-blank pieces, live capital-blank pieces, forty State-capital pieces and a starter piece. It isv to be understood; however, that the number- 'and arrangement of the 'playing pieces ymay vary, the l.number of pieces oi the apparatus illustrated changing with V changes infthe, number of kStates of the United States. The

4number mayv also be'considera'bly `greater whereth'e game pieces-bear `th-e lnames 'of Ycountries andV capitals instead ofStatesYand capitals. It is to be observed that'in the present example, ten h-ali-bl-ank-.pieces have been provided while the starter piece-shown has -onlysi-X starting ends. The. numberffot half-blanks i's 'desirably larger than the number of starting ends or faces inorder to increase the chances of a playerbeing able to start the game by playing ja half-blank,

fas'morefullyexplained hereafter.

In "playing the .game described, play is started by laying down the six-ended starter. All the other .gamepieees or playing pieces, asthey ina-y bev called, are laidvface ydown von the table and eachfplayer drawsa certain number, say rive. Thenanyplayer having fin-his hand 'a half-blank Vmay start thegame .by placing theblank yportion against oneof the'i'aces or ends lll-"of the starten l .-none of theplayers has a @halte-blank with which to start the play, each .playerdraws In case turn untilY lsomeone gets a halt-blank.

.A-tterplay has'beenfstarted by the playing of a l1al't-blank,-the nextplayerpto the left continues, by playing another halt-blank on the starter or by matching the State or capitalalready played with lits capital or State.

a continuous chain of playing pieces as` in dominees. lVhenever a player cannot match any of the ends on the table, he draws until f he obtainsarplaying piece to match. In case no extra playing pieces remain, a player become blocked, that is, a State will be on one end .and the capital of the State will be on Aanother end. An example ofsuch a situation is illustrated in the drawing in which the State of Vermontis on one of the Vends and vli/Iontpelier, the capital of Ver- .inont, is on another end. In' suclra case, further play on these en ds is, of course, prevented.k In oascall six ends should become blocked, which is quite unlikely, the game is over and the player having theleastnumber of playing pieces in his hand wins. Y

It will be seen that Ik have provided improved apparatus adaptable to the playing of var iousgames suitable for both children and adults 'and that `the games will furnish amusement and entertainment at lthesame time the players are being `instructed'(in the example illustrated) inthe science .ot geography.V Because of the improved construction o the starter, the players may engage in thefgaine with comfort and without y'either the. players or the playing pieces being crowded together. 'The double-crosss'shaped starter affords a large number: of starting points from which to build, requiring the `player-s to keep a sharp look-out of the ends for a possibleplay,'thereby stimulating and maintaining interest at'all times.

Various changesin the form, arrangement or other details of construction may be made while still Irealizing the benefits of the invention.

What I claim is: y l Y.

'1. A game apparatus comprising a starter game pie-ce havi ng a plu rality ot blank starting faces, anda series ofgame .pieceseach Ybearing one. or more terms adapted to be .matched with a :game .piece bearing a diierent, y but geographically related term, some. VKoi the .gaine 4.pieces ot each series Yeach V.having a blank face adapte-dto be matched with one of the blank starting faces of Vsaid vstarter ,game piece'. Y, Y Y

,iX-game apparatus comprisinga starter game piecehaving l,a :plurality :of starting lim faces, and a series of game pieces each bearing one or more terms adapted to be matchedy with a game piece bearing a geographically related term, certain game pieces of said series of game pieces adapted to be associated with said st-arter game piece to initiate play.

3. A game apparatus comprising a starter game piece consisting of a longitudinal bod),T portion having a plurality of starting projections providing starting faces, and a series of game pieces each bearing one or more terms adapted to be matched with a game piece bearing a related term, certain game pieces of said series of game piecesA adapted to be associated With said star-ter game piece to initiate play.

4t. A game apparatus comprising a 'plurality of game pieces consisting of a starterv piece having a plurality of blank starting faces, a plurality of playing pieces each divided into two portions, one of said portions being blank and they other of said portions bearing the name of either a State or the capital of a State, and a plurality of playing` pieces each divided into two portions, one of said portions bearing the name of a State and the other of said portions bearing the naine of the capita/l of a State.

5. A game apparatus comprising a starter game piece consisting of a longitudinal body portion having a plurality of b'lank starting 6. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of game pieces each divided into tivo portions, one` of said portions bearing a term adapted to be matched or connected With a gaine piece bearing a geographically related name or term..

7 A game apparatus comprising a plurahty of game pieces each bearing tne name of a State or the capital of a State, the playing pieces adapted to be associated or con-r lated to, but different from, a face of another game piece of the series,`but none of the faces of the gaineA pieces in said series related to the faces of the starter game piece, and

a second series of game pieces, each having a face re'lated to the faces of the starter game piece and a face related to, but different from a face of a game piece of the first mentioned series, the faces of the starter game piece related to the faces of the game pieces of the second series being matched to start a plurality of courses of play, play being Vcontinued by matching the related faces of the game pieces of the first series.

l0. A game apparatus comprising a starter game piece having a plurality of blank faces, a series of gaine pieces provided with faces each bearing a geographical terni, and a second series of gaine pieces each having a blank face and a face bearing a geographical term, the geographical term of the first and second series of game'pieces being related, the blank faces of the second series of game pieces being matched with the blank faces of the starter game piece to sta-rt a plurality of courses of play, play being continued by the matching of game pieces bearing related geographical terms.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature. f 'i Y HAROLD M. PORTER. 

